Violence in Your Heart
by HardRiRi
Summary: SEQUAL TO LOVE IS OUR RESISTANCE. Darien and Serena haven't married yet, Cali has turned into a brat, and new characters in their lives threaten the foundation of their relationship completely. Will they be able to make it? Find out...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! I'm starting a sequel to ****Love is Our Resistance****! (So if you haven't read that I highly suggest you do)I hope you all enjoy it! I'll do my best to update, but do understand that I have a job, school, and an internship so my time is limited.**

**With that said, enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters, designer names, or iPhone products. I only own the story concept and any other fictional characters.

**Chapter 1**

Serena had come a long way from being a well known Upper East Side wife whose picture was plastered over every gossip column known to the world. Her ex-husband James was locked up in the state penitentiary, looking for an appeal that he would never receive on account of everyone was on _her_ side in Manhattan. It was like she was ruling it from afar; a queen from a different country. Her homeland was now in Darien's old childhood town of Fallen Meadows. She resided in the summer home she received from her ex-husband's dead father (just that sentence alone could be a television series).

And speaking of which, Serena's new job was producing a television series she created about being a housewife by day and then part of the glitterati by night. It was very much a take on her own life and what she had to go through on a weekly basis thanks to her famous friends.

Rei was one of the well-known, highly fashionable socialites out in New York who was actually making a label that had some clout; other designers were giving her rave reviews from Oscar de la Renta to Stella McCartney. Even Anna Wintour the editor in chief at Vogue **(double check)**, had given her designs a nod of approval by adding her in the "Hottest 30 designers under 30" section. She was fortunate enough to have a two page spread in that editorial thanks to the scandalous lifestyle she had lived for the past few months via her inner circle.

Lita was creating an even bigger name for herself these days by expanding her restaurant business to Brooklyn and becoming a critical judge on a food television reality show. She was supposed to be the one judge who wouldn't hold back her tongue about the food, but she could always get away with her remarks because she was beautiful. Her sass seemed to scare some of the contestants though and she was titled as "the bitchy boss" in the tabloids.

Amy was happily working behind the scenes, managing clients – such as Mina – and keeping the bad press looking like good press and the good press looking like great press. She wasn't in the business of hearing the word "no" unless it slipped from her own lips in order to get what she wanted. It was so strange to see that this crazed woman could go from screaming at a potential client to sitting at a fireplace, quietly reading a Charlotte Bronte novel. She was an example of night and day.

Mina had finally found her place in the world thanks to the said agent above and her dear friend Serena for creating the fabulous show titled "Home Strife". Considering she had worked so closely with her and was Serena's sister-in-law for a longer-than-life period of time, she knew how to read the lead character that was based on her. The two had a full magazine interview in People about their experience and the pictures accompanying it showed them laughing, playing around with their friends in a field, and Serena cuddling up with Darien and Cali.

Cali was now going into the third grade and dragging some attitude along with her. She was last seen as a cute, smart, witty child who would always say such zen-like things to the adults. She had a clear understanding of the world. But with female celebrity role models taking over her mind and her life-long friend Batty passed on to the other side, she was taking out her temper on Serena. She had slowly started thinking that Serena was trying to take over the "mommy role" when in reality, she just wanted to be there for Cali. But the young girl was going through her long over due tantrum phase; she would learn soon enough.

Darien was trying to cope with this new found personality that had taken over his daughter like a bad virus. Having Serena around really helped… well, when she was around that is. The two still hadn't married after living at Fallen Meadows for those few years and now Darien was slowly starting to grow distant. Serena had noticed the sudden shift in their relationship and was feeling a little bit of the tension start to come between them. He was staying at the local clinic late, making himself completely and one-hundred percent available to his patients in town all while neglecting his child and his fiancée. The household wasn't as peachy keen as Serena had imagined it to be two years ago.

One autumn Tuesday, she drove into the city to meet up with Rei, Ami and Mina at Lita's new Indian restaurant called All the Raj. Serena picked lazily at her curry and sighed. Mina looked up from her eggplant Punjab and tilted her head in curiosity.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Serena retorted.

"Darien," Ami answered.

"Yes!" she responded exasperatedly. "Oh my god! We are _so_ not in a good place right now! Cali is a little terror these days and it's only because she wants to get her father's attention. He doesn't care anymore. All he thinks about is that damn clinic of his." Serena stabbed her fork into her brown rice and exhaled again, "I don't know what to do…"

Mina swallowed her spicy food and quickly responded with a reddened face, "How about you get married already?"

"No," she declined, shaking her head. "I would be walking into another dead marriage if I went down that aisle right now. I need to fix this rut we're in …"

"You need to find that spark again," Ami commented. "Maybe getting out of Fallen Meadows for a night would do you some good."

"Why is it always like this?" Rei asked as she pushed her food away from her. "We get away from the city because it destroys our relationships and then we return because our relationships have crumbled _elsewhere_! Why is the grass always greener on the other side?"

"Because we'll never be satisfied," Ami replied. "How do you possibly expect to have a decent relationship with such high expectations for a person?"

"Says the woman who hasn't been in a relationship for over two years," the raven haired heiress mumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think Ami's right," Mina nodded. "We're never going to be satisfied in our relationships. We're always going to want something more."

"I just want Darien back," Serena sighed. "Is that too much to ask?"

"For him it might be," shrugged Ami. "I mean he's working so hard; being himself might just be another thing he can't handle."

"But _I_ can provide for us!" she complained.

"It's not about making money with him and you know that," Rei scolded her. After taking a pause to think about the situation, she reached over and clasped her hand over Serena's, "Look, maybe what you need to do is become more involved in their home life. You may have moved out to Fallen Meadows but how much time do you actually spend in the community?" When Serena didn't answer, she clapped her hands in triumph, "Knew it. You have no idea what that community is really like, do you?"

"No … I don't," she said sheepishly. "But how do I do this? How do I get involved?"

"Offer to pick Cali up from school," Mina suggested. "That way you'll get to know the moms there and maybe you could get involved in the PTA or something."

The group finished eating their lunch, paid the bill and then walked out of the restaurant to find a few men slinking around and snapping photos from their long lens cameras. Serena stopped at the valet and handed him her ticket. As the group waited for her SUV to be driven around the corner, they discussed the topic further.

"So you think that by getting more involved in life up there, I'll be able to bring the old Darien back?" she asked.

"There's no sure fire answer," Ami replied, "but it's a start at least. This could be why Cali is acting out so much; the girl isn't getting any attention. And with the dog's death just a few months ago…"

Batty had received a grim diagnosis from the vet earlier that year; he had stomach cancer. They changed his diet, they gave him medicine, but everything just seemed to remove his happy, flighty personality even more. Nothing was working and it all made him miserable. So Darien and Serena came to a joint decision to put him down. Cali had never been the same since then.

As the black monster of a car rolled up to the curb, Serena turned back to her friends, "So I have to confine myself to Fallen Meadows?"

"You're the one who wanted to move there in the first place," Mina scoffed. "Don't act like this is a death sentence."

"It is though! You guys aren't there!" she whined.

"Let's compromise," Rei suggested. "You stay up there a little bit more, get more involved, and we'll visit you."

"Hands in on it?" Serena asked, placing her slender hand out, palm down in the center of their foursome.

The women rolled their eyes and each slapped their hand over hers. Ami put an extra hand in and said, "That's for Lita. She's not getting out of this one just because she's filming a segment on sushi wraps and frying tofu."

They all giggled and then Serena climbed into her car. She waved goodbye to her friends, pushed her large Jackie-O sunglasses onto her face, and then drove back to the compound she called home. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to nestle into a home life. It certainly would be a change from the constant commute back and forth to New York City. She loved Manhattan a lot; it kept her check with its grittiness and its bite. Fallen Meadows was wispy, quiet, and secretly catty from what she could tell. No one had opened up to her there. Then again, it's not like she ever gave the town a chance to get to know her. She was always running away back to her friends, her comfort zone. It was time to break free of that.

With a determined smile on her face and her confidence levels at an all-time high, Serena dashed off into the world, only to crash into an expensive Mercedes-Benz.

"Shit!" she exclaimed as she hit the brakes and came to a sudden halt.

Luckily, she had only just been pulling out of her parking space and her friends weren't too far away. They all came rushing back except for Rei who had already been whisked off in a yellow cab.

"Are you alright?" Ami exclaimed.

Serena hopped out of the car and slammed the door shut, "Yeah I am. This thing is a tank. I just hope the other person is okay." She walked around to the other side and started to apologize profusely to the woman who was looking awfully disgruntled, "I am _so_ sorry! I really wasn't paying attention! Let me give you my insurance information; I will gladly pay for the damages."

"Jesus fucking Christ! You weren't looking at all, were you?" the woman screamed.

"No, I wasn't ma'am. I-I'm sorry," she said coyly as she pulled out her card. She started to write down her personal cell phone on the back as she said, "Please call me when you get the estimate. I'll call my insurance company immediately."

The woman, who was tall, slender, with silky chestnut hair, looked like she should have been in a beauty commercial with her perfect complexion, wonderful three piece Chanel suit, and a kick ass Hermes bag that stated she was rich, classy, and above all a snob. She snatched the card out of Serena's hand and sighed as she looked it over with her piercing hazel eyes.

"Fallen Meadows?" she asked, arching her eyebrow.

"Yes. That's where I live. In fact that's where I was about to head out to and … um … well, then _this_ happened," she answered.

"Huh … never would have pegged you for a suburban type," the woman replied snidely as she stepped back and examined the damage for herself.

"You either," Serena smiled which quickly faltered when she realized what she had just said. "I mean you don't look suburban. Not to say that you are! I shouldn't assume such a thing. Not that it's a _bad_ thing, I just … oh dear …"

The woman merely kept her perfectly eyebrow raised in amusement and took out her cell phone in order to snap photos of the wrecked car. Once she was finished, she exchanged her own information and said she would be in touch. She wouldn't file a police report, but there would have to be reputable payment. Serena completely agreed. The Chanel suited woman slowly pulled her car out of the wreckage and then drove off cautiously into the city. Serena trotted back over to the other side of her SUV so she could hide from the prying eyes and cameras that were across the street.

"I think I've started off on the wrong foot," she blushed as she handed Ami and Mina the card of information she was handed.

"Heather Lincolnshire. She's the dean at Fallen Meadows private elementary school," Ami read out loud.

"She's the dean at _Cali's_ school!" Serena exclaimed. "Shit! I am so totally fucked!"

"No you're not," Mina argued. "You're just … erm … well … okay so you're a little fucked. But not totally."

Serena growled underneath her breath and climbed back into her car. She was not going to have a good week. She could just feel it. As she pulled back into traffic slowly and carefully, she turned on the radio only to hear that her accident was already major news. Leaning back against the leather seats, she waited for the story to subside and the traffic news to come up.

"And if you're trying to get out of the city to upstate New York, good luck folks. Highway 87 is backed up thicker than my sink at the moment … and that's pretty bad. There was major construction going on and as if matters couldn't get worse, an accident has occurred right on top it. Literally on top of the construction. Some idiot didn't know how to turn off their cruise control and smashed right into site. His car is stuck in hot tar now … so good luck with that."

Serena sighed and popped in her iPhone so she could play her favorite mix for the duration of the traffic jam. The playlist didn't last for as long as her slow departure though; the drive took her close to six hours. It was torture. By the time she had actually entered Fallen Meadows, the sun had sunk below the horizon and she was now stuck with listening to the radio which wasn't all that bad aside from some of the disc jockeys who thought they were funny.

Feeling extremely exhausted from the negativity of the day, she was glad to see that Darien was home; his car was out front. She parked the car in the driveway and slung her large leather satchel over her shoulder. She opened up the back seat door, pulled out a heavy box of possible episode ideas from her writers and then struggled to make it to the front entrance.

"You're kidding me?" a familiar voice exclaimed from the living room.

Serena waddled into the room where the sound of laughter was coming in and there, on _her_ couch, was that woman she had hit earlier that day. Heather Lincolnshire was sitting with Darien, drinking wine and having quite a laugh together. Serena's eyes grew a bit wide and before she knew it, her clammy hands had uncontrollably let the giant box of thick scripts fall on her foot. She screamed and cursed in pain and immediately Darien leapt up from the couch just as Serena was about push the heavy box off her foot.

"Don't touch it!" he ordered loudly, causing her to stop more from shock from his tone rather than actually hearing what he said. Darien lifted the box off of her foot and placed it to the side. He examined her toes and arch, massaging it gently. Serena howled in pain when she felt him press against the top of her foot.

"You've bruised the muscle I think," he said casually as he lifted her up and carried her over to the couch where he had once been so buddy-buddy with Heather. "I'll get you some ice." He went into the kitchen, grabbed a towel, put some ice in it and then placed it on her foot. "We'll go into my office tomorrow morning and take some x-rays just to be sure."

"Aren't you lucky to be married to a doctor?" Heather smiled venomously.

"We're not married," Darien corrected her.

"Oh? But I thought…"

"We're still engaged," Serena said, showing off her light pink diamond ring to her. "It's been difficult to try and schedule a proper wedding with our busy lives."

"Oh I'm sure," she nodded.

There was something about Heather's tone that didn't sound right to Serena. This woman was too fancy to be in a town like this; especially when working with children between the ages of six and eleven. It made her shudder to think what Heather would be like if she got mustard spilled on her Manolo Blahniks or Dolce and Gabanna pencil skirt.

"Well, I should get going," Heather said, looking over at Darien in the kitchen.

"No! Don't!" he drawled as he took another quick swig of his wine. "She's been through worse."

Serena's brow instinctively furrowed at his tone; he reminded her a little bit of James just then and it didn't sit well with her. She sat up a little bit straighter and tried not to cause any attention on herself as she watched their exchange.

"Your girlfriend is injured. You should take care of her," Heather cooed as Darien closed the gap between the two of them. She brushed a strand of his hair out of his face then turned around to look at the invalid on the couch, "I'm sure I'll see you around, Serena. I'll be expecting a call from your insurance agent. Sorry about your foot. Goodbye."

"Yeah … um, bye," she murmured.

Once the door had shut and she knew that the woman had driven away in her beat up Mercedes, Serena turned her focus on to Darien, "How do you know her?"

"We're old friends. We go way back," he beamed. He sat down on the couch, placing Serena's feet in his lap. He started to massage the foot that wasn't showing a purple discoloration, but she moaned as though she was in pain. "This isn't the bruised foot. Why are you making those noises?"

"Because it feels so good," she replied through gritted teeth. "I walk in heels all day remember?"

"Yeah, no heels for a while. I'll get you some orthopedic shoes. You might need a foot brace on this injured one," he instructed her quietly.

She didn't have the energy or time to argue with him about it so she just shrugged and laid back against the couch. Darien looked over at her and grabbed her hand.

"Are you alright? What's the matter?" he asked.

"How do you _really_ know her?"

He didn't answer right away, but when he did, he couldn't look at her, "She's my first love. We were high school sweethearts, college loves, and some how we were a slight lingering flame before I met Cali's mother."

"You ended it when you met her, right?" she prodded, noticing extreme guilt in his eyes. "_Right_?"

"No. When she was dying, I needed comfort. I went back to Heather … and we were also together for a few months after her death," he answered solemnly.

He had stopped massaging her foot at this point which she was thankful for. Serena kicked off the bag of ice from her foot and hobbled up onto her good leg. She felt like the dearly departed Batty did when he would bounce around the house frantically. She used every bit of leverage she could in order to get to the staircase. She leaned against walls, used a bookshelf as a crutch, and then finally hopped over to the first two steps.

"Don't you want me to carry you?" Darien asked.

"No! Don't help me! I've been through worse, _remember_? I don't need your help. I'll get checked out in the city tomorrow," she snapped.

She knew that her feelings were irrational to a certain degree, but she could help it; he had cheated on his _dying_ wife. Who's to say he wouldn't cheat on a living one? A living one who didn't have cancer, could easily move on in life – supposedly – was financially stable, and didn't have a child with him. He didn't have to be connected with her if he didn't want to. Serena was wondering if this woman was like a litmus test for every relationship Darien entered; when Heather returned, it would test whether or not he was really in love with that person. With this thought running through her mind like a crazed bunny rabbit, she locked herself in the restroom and ran herself a bath. While the water was running, she called up the one feisty person she knew would join her in her ridiculous ideas.

After explaining the whole situation, she heard from Rei on the other end, "What a bitch!"

"I just don't know what to do?" Serena whispered. "Do I confront him about this? He never once mentioned Heather! We've been together for over two years!"

"Well, maybe it would be a liability," she mused. "You won't marry him because you two are in this rut. Did you ever think of why _he_ wouldn't marry _you_?"

"No…"

"Maybe this is it."

She nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Serena?"

"I'm nodding," she said as a tear fell from her eye. She wiped it away and realized that steam was filling the room up like a thick fog. "Rei I have to go. My bath cover-up is starting to cloud my focus."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow? Do you want me to send a car to pick you up?" she asked.

"Um … yeah. That would be great. I'll need help getting around town on crutches."

"Okay. Ciao."

"Bye."

Serena hung up her phone and then slid off of the closed toilet seat in order to stop the bathtub from overflowing. She slipped out of her skinny jeans, blouse, and underwear and then carefully dipped herself into the steaming hot pool of water. Just as she was getting half way in, a knock at the door interrupted her narrowed concentration. She almost slipped and squealed loudly in the process. Serena ended up in the hot tub a lot fast than expected. A small wail escaped from her lips as she felt the scalding water consume her skin and a throbbing pain vibrated through her injured foot. Darien burst in when hearing the scream and was relieved to find her just in the tub.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"If you ask that again tonight, I'm going to find a way to hurt you," she grumbled as she repositioned herself.

He strolled in and sat down on the toilet seat, leaning over his knees and staring at the opposite wall.

After a few minutes of silence, Serena said, "You never corrected her."

"Excuse me?"

"Heather called me your _girlfriend_. I'm your fiancée. You never corrected her," she explained plainly.

"Well you are my girlfriend. You're my girlfriend with a ring," he shrugged.

"I'm engaged to _marry_ you," she shot at him. "I'm in the process of getting ready to spend the _rest of my life_ with you! A girlfriend is _not_ a fiancée! A girlfriend has an expiration date. A fiancée has a _future_!" She splashed the water a little bit and asked him dumbfounded, "Do you even _want_ to get married?"

"I … I don't know now," he whispered as he cupped his face into his hands.

Serena's jaw was held agape as she stared at him in shock. This wasn't the same man she had fallen madly in love with at the hospital when she was going through a tumultuous marriage. What had happened? Did life get in the way too much? Were they only meant to be when something dramatic was happening to them?

She had more questions running through her head, but they all vanished the moment that Darien got up and walked out of the bathroom. That night they didn't sleep in the same bed; Darien stayed in his den and Serena stayed up in the master bedroom surrounded by her mountains of scripts. She sighed as she got through the twentieth one of that night, knowing by now that Darien wasn't coming to bed. She turned the lights out, removed her glasses from her face, and slipped under the covers for a restless slumber.

**Please review and let me know what you think of this beginning!**


	2. Chapter 2

Here's another installment! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailor Moon character or any of the said products, designers, or manufacturers mentioned in this story.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Serena would have offered to drive Cali that morning as initially planned the day before over lunch with her friends, but she was sadly unable to do so. With her injured foot, she was instead being whisked off in a black limo to the city in order to see a doctor that wasn't her estranged fiancé. She was meeting with Rei at a downtown hospital where right afterward they would get drinks together – _much needed drinks_.

When the car pulled up to the curb after the two and a half hour drive, she was helped out by the chauffer and assisted by him until they reached the indoor lobby where Rei was waiting for her in a bright red silk jumper and black lace bra. It was a very provocative outfit for the hospital.

"What's with the get up?" Serena asked, gesturing to it.

"It's from my own label. I'm trying it on to see if it works as a casual piece," she answered.

"It doesn't," her friend grinned as the two sat down together in the waiting room.

"Thanks. I didn't need _you_ to tell me that."

They sat in filled silence as they flipped idly through magazines. After only getting half way through an InTouch magazine, Serena was called in for her appointment. She followed a young looking girl with bright green hair into the examination room. There she waited impatiently for about ten minutes and then the door swung open. In walked a tall, slightly feminine looking man with short, glossy blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. He stared at his patient for a moment, almost as though he was caught off guard to see someone in the same room as him.

"So you're Serena … Copeland? No … Serena _Patterson_," he corrected. "Sorry for the mix up. Some of your paper work hasn't changed."

"It's okay," she sighed.

"I'm Dr. Brokov … Dr. Jadeite Brokov. It says here you dropped a heavy box on your foot and now it, 'hurts like a bitch'," he said in a monotone.

"Excuse me?" Serena replied, baffled.

"Your friend, Rei was the one who described this incident to our nurse practitioner," he grinned. Serena giggled a little as he went on, "You _have_ a doctor though … it says that you report to Dr. Shields on a regular basis in Fallen Meadows."

"Um … yes."

"Since this incident happened _in_ Fallen Meadows, why not see him there? It surely would have caused less pain," he mused, tilting his head a little bit.

"I …" Serena paused for a moment. She was growing awfully tired of divulging her secret feelings and emotions to doctors these days. She sat up straight and said firmly, "I just don't wish to see him currently."

"Alright. Well, let's take a look at the foot of yours."

He plopped down on a short stool and had Serena lift her leg up. She was still wearing a pair of her favorite Loubiton heels, much to her previous doctor's dismay. Dr. Brokov couldn't help but smile at the woman's ambition for keeping true to labels. He slowly started to massage Serena's foot and felt the muscle tense. After massaging it for about thirty seconds, he pulled away from Serena, gently placing her injured limb down and then grabbing his clipboard.

"It's bruised. There aren't any broken bones," he said nonchalantly. "I can prescribe you some drugs for the pain if you'd like and I can also provide a foot brace for you."

"Just the foot brace please," Serena requested through gritted teeth.

Dr. Brokov looked up from his charts and knitted his brow, "You seem upset. Is it because you can't wear these fabulous shoes anymore?"

"No … it's not that," she sighed. "Dr. Shields is not only my doctor, he's also my fiancé."

"Did _he_ do this?" he exclaimed.

"No! No! Oh Jesus, no. I dropped a box on my foot like it said there in my file," she answered. "We're having a fight so I didn't want him examining me. Can I please _not_ divulge my whole personal relationship to you? I've gone through that already … hasn't turned out well."

"Sure. Well, let me get you a brace and then you can be off," he forcibly smiled.

A moment or two after he left, the door opened and Rei swiftly breezed into the room. Serena pursed her lips in curiosity and crossed her arms over her chest. The heiress popped open her red leather bag and pulled out a pad and paper. She scribbled something on it as she said, "That doctor is _hot_. Can you give this to him?"

"Your digits? Or is that a note asking, 'Do you like me? Choose yes or no' with little boxes by them?" she laughed.

"Don't joke. He's handsome and I want him," she snapped in a whispered tone as she finished writing down her message.

After she left, Serena took a peak at the letter and snickered a little bit at what it said. That's when the doctor walked in. He smiled at her laughter and asked what was so funny. She handed him the piece of paper.

"I'm sick doc. The only cure is a drink at the bar Classic. Tonight. 8 pm. Be there. XX, Rei Hino," he read aloud. He looked up at his patient, "Is she serious?"

"Unfortunately."

"What will happen if I don't show?"

"You don't want to know."

"That bad, huh?"

"She always gets what she wants," she shrugged.

He sighed as he put the black brace on her foot, strapping the Velcro on snugly. She tilted her head and asked, "Was she too forward?"

"No. It's not that."

"You have a girlfriend? A fiancée? A wife?"

"You said you didn't want your personal life to be divulged, I would like the same respect in return," he said grimly, stepping back and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Fair enough."

Serena carefully got down from the examination table and started to limp out of the room with the doctor following her to the waiting room. When Rei caught sight of Jadeite again, she started to blush uncontrollably and smooth out the invisible wrinkles on her jumper. Serena couldn't believe it; Rei was actually nervous around a man. Usually she was so composed and ready for witty remarks at any given moment. Yet here she was, looking like a shy little school girl.

"Well, thank you so much for all your help doctor," Serena said awkwardly, feeling strange between the two of them. There was definitely a vibe there.

The two women waved goodbye to the bashful doctor and exited as fast as they could with Serena's food bound up in a plastic and thick protective foam lining. They both stood outside on the sidewalk where Rei explained that she couldn't go get drinks; she was going shopping to find the perfect outfit for the date tonight. Before shooing her friend into a cab, she flew up into a flurry.

"Wait! Maybe you can come with me! We'll go on a double date! Bring Darien!" she exclaimed as a yellow cab came careening up to the curb.

"Are you serious?" Serena asked.

"Come oooon! I can't do this alone!" she whined.

"What has gotten into you? You're always confident!"

"He … I don't know. I think I … erm …. Will you just go with me? I'll get the other girls! They can be a buffer," she suggested.

"Jesus, Rei. Fine. I'll go. I'll text you later and let you know what Darien says," she exhaled.

"How are you going to approach him about it?" Rei asked.

"I'll go to the source of it all; his work."

Serena turned around to find another woman getting into her cab and driving off into the dirty city. She flashed Rei a look of discontent and then proceeded to flag another cab down. On the ride back to Fallen Meadows, she wondered if Darien would agree to go or if he would completely deny the invitation. The latter seemed the most likely considering the two of them hadn't actually gone out to dinner together in over six months. They had already turned into that dreaded married couple … minus the married part. Upon entering the town she had yet to call her home, she examined the engagement ring on her left hand. It was glittering at her almost in a mocking manner. She was tempted to take it off. It symbolized the prospect of a wedding that would never come around if they stayed in this rut.

She told the cabbie the directions to the clinic and then paid him the surreal amount of money it cost to get from the city to the suburban town. She hobbled her way into the small front office and smiled at the receptionist.

"Hi Abby," she beamed. "Is Darien in?"

"He's almost done with a patient," she answered. "It'll just be a few minutes."

"Alright. I can wait," she nodded.

She limped over to a chair and sat down. Waiting. She had done that a lot lately. Waiting for Darien mainly. She waited for him to set the date for their wedding. She waited for him to finally take the time to start planning it. She waited for him to stop being so angry. She waited for him at night to come home. She waited for him to take notice that his daughter was acting up. She waited for him to come back …

"Serena?"

She looked up and found him looking rather confused that she was there.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

She scrunched her face up, "Why is that always your first reaction to me?"

"Because usually something is wrong."

The injured woman climbed up to her foot and took long strides out of the waiting room and into his office. She couldn't believe that his manners had practically fallen at the waist side along with his love for her lately. A year ago, he would have never called her out like that in front of his receptionist. She didn't plop down in a chair; instead she placed her hands on her hips and glared at him as he shut the door.

"How _dare_ you say that to me out there!" she barked.

"So something _is_ wrong?"

"Well _now_ it is!"

"What is going on?"

"I don't know! _You_ tell _me_!"

"What does _that_ mean?"

"Darien … we've been on the rocks for a while," she said with a shaky voice, never removing her eyes from his. "What is happening to us?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"Well when you find out, you can either give this back to me or give it to someone else," she stated as she removed the engagement ring and slammed it on his desk.

He stared at it for a moment and she could see the feelings running through his mind; shame, confusion, curiosity, agony, and sadness. She shook her head as she tried to figure out what they could possibly do to salvage their strained relationship.

"You want to call off the engagement?" Darien asked solemnly.

"I'm just a girlfriend with a ring, remember?" she said venomously.

"You know I still love you."

"You have a strange way of showing it."

"I just haven't had the time to sit down and—"

"I don't want to hear it, Darien!" she exclaimed. "I want actions, not words. I want you to realize that I am a woman with needs" She paused for a moment and then said, "I would also like you to realize that your daughter had turned into a destructive little brat. You need to be in her life more. She's beginning to resent you … and myself."

"She's just going through a phase," he waved off.

"How long are you going to keep telling yourself that?" she asked. "When she's fifteen, wearing scandalous clothing, smoking a cigarette behind an alley and drinking beer out of a paper bag will that still be a _phase_?"

"Don't be so dramatic," he scoffed.

"I'm not. That's what happened to me in my adolescence," she replied. "I cleaned my act up just in time to get into a decent college and even used that rebellion to write a great essay." Knowing that they weren't going to get anywhere with this argument, she readjusted the strap on her large hobo bag and announced, "Look, the main reason why I came here wasn't to pick a fight with you. I wanted to let you know that Rei invited us out for drinks tonight at Classic. I don't even know why I came here to ask though; you're always too busy for me."

When he didn't respond with an answer, she shrugged and walked past him out of the office. She was exhausted trying to get him to be more involved in her life and vice versa. How much more could she possibly do? As she hobbled out into the waiting room, a familiar face caught her eye; Heather. The woman had cut back on the designer digs and was now adorned in more casual clothing of a t-shirt and a pair of jeans with black ballet flats. She looked up and caught Serena's gaze. She smiled and waved hello.

"How are you?" she asked.

'_I'd be better if you weren't here_,' Serena thought as she actually said, "I could be better." She gestured to her large foot brace.

"Ooooh. I'm sorry dear."

"Yeah, well, accidents happen."

"Speaking of which, I haven't received a phone call from your insurance agent yet," she commented.

"Oh. Um. I haven't had time yet. As you can see, I had to tend to my foot," she smiled nervously.

"Right, well you need to get on that immediately."

"It's been one day…"

"And I still have a crushed left headlight," Heather reminded her. "Please get a hold of your insurance agent. I'd like my car fixed soon."

"Yeah. Okay. I'll call them when I get home," she breathed as she turned around and started to walk out of the clinic.

"Have a good day!"

She turned around to say goodbye, but stopped herself when she saw Darien approach Heather. He was beaming at her. This was a side of him she hadn't seen in months. His smile looked foreign on his face. He was a totally different person around his ex-first-love. She trotted out to the front and then realized she didn't have a ride home. She was about to go back inside to tell Darien, but then decided against it. She knew everyone in Fallen Meadows. Surely someone would drive past and offer her a ride. So she sat on the steps and waited for a car to drive by so she could wave it down. But one never did. She waited for over a half an hour. By that time, she had texted Rei and told her that she was going to be late, but to send a car around anyways. After she sent her text message, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up to find Heather smiling down at her.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked.

Serena blushed a little bit and then climbed up to her feet as she answered, "I took a cab here and I was too embarrassed to ask Darien for a ride home. It was foolish of me to forget that I didn't have any transportation."

"I'll give you a ride," she offered.

"You will?"

"Yeah sure. Why not?"

Heather helped her down the steps and when they made it to her banged up car, she assisted Serena into the vehicle. The two started to drive off in an awkward, tense silence. Serena couldn't believe she was being helped by the one woman who was probably the biggest threat to her relationship.

After a bout of tiresome quiet, Heather broke, "So I take it you know about me and Darien by now?"

Serena cleared her throat, "Erm … yes. I do."

"Please don't worry about us," she explained. "What Darien and I had was strangely passionate and extremely overwhelming. We couldn't control it."

"Is this supposed to make me not worry? Because it's not working."

"I'm married, Serena."

"That still doesn't keep me from worrying. A person can be married and not be happy," she insisted.

"Oh yes, I remember reading all about your tumultuous marriage with James," Heather responded. "I'm sorry you went through that." Serena merely shrugged as she continued on, "But I _am_ happily married. That's why I came back to Fallen Meadows. I wanted to start a quiet life together."

"Who's the lucky man?" she asked.

"Woman, actually. Her name is Zoë," she announced.

"Oh … so you're …"

"I'm in a lesbian relationship, but that doesn't mean I'm a lesbian," she stated. "I guess you could title me as a bisexual, but I don't believe in labels."

"I see."

"Are you uncomfortable with this?"

"No … well sort of. I just … I'm thrown for a loop is all."

"I noticed the moment you walked in the door last night that you saw me as a threat," she commented. "Darien and I are friends, nothing more."

"Why don't you wear a ring on your finger?" Serena asked.

"Do you know how complicated it would be to explain my relationship to this conservative town? I don't think they would understand. If I was to mention my marriage to Zoë, that's all they would see on my credentials. I would be the token lesbian."

"Understandable. I'm the token outcast here. I'm that 'city girl' that no one wants to invite to potlucks or ask to help with bake sales," Serena replied as she leaned her temple against her closed fist. She took a deep breath and then looked over at Heather, "I had it all wrong about you. I thought you were this big shot designer lover woman who was going to steal Darien from me."

"It's that damn Chanel suit. It gets ya every time! I had to wear that to look more like one of the Stepford wives here for a meeting I had," she explained. "I went back to the city afterwards for a real drink and that's when we got into an accident. These women here are … _awful_!"

"Don't I know it…"

"Do you? Darien said you retreat back to the city every chance you get."

"Wouldn't you if you were in my position?"

"If I had a man here like Darien, I wouldn't be so hasty to runaway. Considering I have a woman like Zoë, I _have_ to leave in order for us to have romantic, intimate moments together out in public. You're lucky you can show off your relationship without wondering if your job is going to be pulled out from under you."

"Would they really do that?"

"You better believe it. They don't want their children going to a school where the dean is in a marriage with a _woman_. The children would be tainted! Scarred for life!" she mocked as they pulled up to the house.

"Thank you for the ride," Serena smiled. "And thank you for opening up to me. We should have dinner together; you, me, Zoë and Darien."

"That sounds wonderful. I'll call you."

Serena waved goodbye and climbed out of the car. She hobbled up into the house, a bright grin curling her lips. She walked into the living room to find Cali sitting on the couch with a box of Crunch Berries in her hand and cartoons blasting at her from the flat screen tv that was mounted on the wall. She limped up behind the couch and tilted her head, staring at the potential step-child.

"Do you have homework?" she asked.

The young girl shrugged and continued to ignore Serena. Rolling her eyes, she took the box of cereal out of her grasp and yanked the remote out of her hand in order to turn the television off.

"Hey!" Cali protested.

"Get your things. We're going somewhere," Serena declared.

"Where?" she asked, her curiosity ebbing away at her anger.

"You'll see. Just get your coat."

She was tired of seeing this girl mope around like a sullen teenager. She had another five or six years for that to happen. Thus, Serena ushered the little tyke in her neon pink windbreaker out into the SUV. What she had planned would hopefully help her attitude…

* * *

**Find out what Serena has in store for Cali next!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey all! I hope you're enjoying this fic so far! Thanks for reviewing! Keep em coming!**

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sailor Moon character or any of the said products, designers, or manufacturers mentioned in this story. 

**Chapter 3**

Serena beamed at Cali as she kept her eyes covered the whole ride there. When she pulled up to their designated destination, she clapped her hands and told the young girl to open her eyes. She gasped at the sight of the local Human Society sitting in front of them. She knew what this meant. She hopped out of the car immediately and started to jog toward the entrance. She stopped suddenly and turned around to wait for Serena to catch up with her hobbling foot. Cali held the door open for her and the two of them walked inside, hand in hand. A woman at the front desk greeted them with a warm welcome.

"How can I assist you today?" she asked.

"We're here to look at the puppies," Serena answered.

"Sure. Right this way."

She led them through a long hallway with windows where kittens on one side could be seen in cages and puppies on the other side could be seen. She unlocked the room for them to walk into and examine the whining, yelping animals. Serena stood back and let Cali slowly stroll up and down the aisle of screaming dogs. Her eyes were wide with amazement at how cute they all were. She finally stopped at the one cage at the very end of the rows of healthy dogs. She pointed to the very still animal inside. Serena walked over to her and leaned down to look into the dark cage. There was a golden colored dog lying down with one eye blinking. The right eye was sewn up permanently. On the description of the small puppy, it said that he was attacked by a raccoon when only a few weeks old and he lost his eye the process. He now had problems with depth perception and the previous owners didn't want to have to deal with him.

"You always like the rejected ones, huh?" Serena asked her.

"They need a home too," Cali insisted.

She tilted her head up at Serena and laced her fingers through hers, "Can we get him?'

"I don't know. Your father …."

"Doesn't care," she finished. "He'll never care."

Seeing the pain in Cali's eyes, Serena decided to take the initiative to help this child out, "Okay. Let's do it."

Cali jumped up and down, clapping her hands wildly and squealing with excitement. This made the rest of dogs in the rows of cages bark and holler along with her. The one-eyed puppy continued took look at Cali with a depressed expression. Serena turned around gestured for the woman to come inside. She pointed to the dreary looking animal.

"We want this one," she announced.

"You want Patchy?" she asked, dumbfounded by their choice of pet.

"Patchy? You named him _Patchy_? As in eye-patch?" she replied. "Wow … okay. Um, yes, we want 'Patchy'."

"Alright. I'll get someone to cage him for you while we sort through the paper work," she explained.

After they had gone through signing the proper documents, Serena asked the woman, "How do we go about changing his name?"

"We can do that now if you'd like," she smiled, pulling out a stapled packet of two pages. "Just bring this back with his name change and then we can put it in the computer in case he ever gets lost and we scan his information."

"Thank you," Serena nodded before looking over at Cali. She was pleasantly distracted by the sleeping dog in the small olive green pen. She patted the young child's head and gestured to the door. Cali picked the cage up which prompted the young pup to start whimpering; it was the first sound he had made the whole time they had interacted with him. Serena made sure they had gotten all the things needed for their new pet; puppy chow, a bed, pee pads, toys, a leash, and spot remover for the stains they knew would happen in the future.

When they arrived home, Cali opened up the cage and expected the puppy to bound out and be all happy, but instead he just slowly walked out and then plopped down on his bed. He looked up with his one dark brown eye at the two females staring back at him expectantly.

"What's wrong with him?" Cali exclaimed.

"He's like your father…" Serena mumbled under her breath.

"Why isn't he happy?"

"Been asking that myself…" Then she shook her head, "Oh! You mean the dog! Well Cali … he's probably scared."

"Batty was excited when we brought him home!" she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"This isn't Batty. This is … 'Patchy'," she grimaced. "That's such an awful name." Serena walked over to the bag of stuff they had and handed Cali the collar and leash, "Here. Take him outside down by the bank and play with him. He needs interaction. Tug him along if you need to."

"Do I have to go by myself?" she asked.

Serena smiled slowly, "No. Of course not. I'll go out there with you. Come on. But you have to hold my hand, okay? My foot still isn't working properly."

The three of them, the two humans and the dog, walked out the back door to the grassy field that ran along the bank of the local pond. Most animals would go wild at the sight of all the large fireflies fluttering around and squirrels that scurried from one tree to the next. But this one eyed dog just sat down and studied the water lapping at the muddy shore.

"He's weird," Cali concluded after a few minutes.

"Sit down beside him. See what he does," Serena suggested.

She did as she was told and immediately, the golden puppy snuggled up onto her lap. She stroked the dog softly as he looked up and then he tried to lick her face. Because of his depth perception being slightly off though, he didn't reach her cheek exactly. Thus, Cali leaned down a little bit and giggled as his tongue tickled her. It had been such a long time since Serena had heard that laughter; it was nice.

"What's going on out here?" a familiar voice asked.

Serena turned around and found Darien ambling down the lush green lawn while rolling up his sleeves.

"I thought you had work," she said.

"I do, but then after you left, I felt …"

"Like an asshole?" she finished.

"Serena!" Cali gasped.

"Yeah, yeah. You get some change in the curse jar," she waved off, still glaring at Darien. "It was worth every penny."

"I wanted to go to that dinner with you tonight," he shrugged.

"Wow … you make it sound so exciting with that tone and body language," she said with an eye roll.

"I want to go," he insisted. Then his eyes flowed down to the listless dog that looked like he was constantly winking. "What is _that_?"

"A dog," Serena answered bluntly.

"I see that…"

"Serena said I could keep it!" Cali said defensively as she cuddled the pooch.

"I thought she could use a new friend," she said sweetly and quietly.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"We haven't decided," Cali answered.

"The pound originally titled him 'Patchy'," she grinned.

"What happened to his eye?"

"He kind of came like that. A raccoon attacked him when he was a few weeks old."

He pointed to his daughter, "I suppose you were the one who picked him out?"

Darien chuckled a little bit and wrapped his arm around Serena's shoulders as he stared at the animal. She felt comfortable suddenly. This is what she had been missing. This feeling. These little moments … for longer than just a moment; for hours, days, weeks, months, years. But as soon as she had felt this normalcy, it was soon gone. He walked down to pick the lethargic dog up into his arms.

"What do you want to name him, Cali?" he asked, tilting his head.

"I don't know…"

Serena walked up beside him and stared at the dog, "He's awfully stoic … and seems like he's studying everything." She paused for a moment and then smiled, "I feel like he's a silent Mr. Peabody from Rocky and Bullwinkle. If he could talk, he'd school us all."

"He reminds me of Elvis with that constant wink," he smiled.

"Elvis Peabody," Cali decided with a strict nod on her head. "That's his name."

The two adults looked down at the child; her zen-like state was already coming back in full force. Darien smiled as he led the way back to the house with the whimpering puppy in his arms. When they entered the house, he put the dog down and it immediately went scampering toward the empty dog bowl that had never been moved or replaced. It was a ceramic dog dish that Cali had painted for Batty when they first got him. She pursed her lips in a depressing manner as she stared at the young dog who was looking at it expectantly; it had no idea that there had been a fellow friend before him.

"Your project for tonight while your father and I are gone is to repaint that dog dish," Serena ordered as she walked to the cupboards to retrieve a set of two bowls – one for water and one for food. As she prepared Elvis Peabody's food, she asked Darien, "Have you gotten a sitter for her?"

"I asked Abby. She said she would be glad to do it. I never told her about the dog though … because I didn't know you were planning on getting one without my input," he said with a biting tone that only Serena could pick up on.

"Well, being around helps a bit," she replied, not hiding any emotions from Cali. The girl had to have known by now that they were on the rocks.

"I'm going to take a shower," Darien announced.

Serena didn't respond as he bounded up the stairs to the master bathroom. She stayed downstairs and started to prepare dinner for Cali which consisted of left over spaghetti from the night before, steamed broccoli and carrots, and chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs. She watched the little girl sit at the counter on a stool and chow down happily. She kissed the top of Cali's head and then ran up the stairs to get changed … well, she "ran" as well as she could with that thick brace on her foot. As she started to thumb through her closet, she wondered if it was going to be as awkward as she anticipated.

"How should I dress for this occasion?" Darien asked as he strolled out of the steamy bathroom with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Serena was caught off guard by his amazing body, chiseled out perfectly like a Michelangelo statue. She could feel herself turned on immediately.

"Um, I-I guess … uh …"

"Are you okay?" he grinned, tilting his head a bit as he closed in the gap between them.

She didn't have the heart to tell him that she was suddenly turned on by his body as though she had never seen him before. They hadn't had sex in … well she couldn't remember. She shook her head, trying to break the spell.

"It's semi-casual," she told him. "So slacks … a button down?"

"Which shirt do you suggest?" he asked.

"Are you serious?" she laughed. "You never ask me for your opinion anymore."

"Fine. I'll wear that Hawaiian button down I wore in the Caribbean last summer," he smiled as he tilted her chin up.

She didn't know where this affection came from, but it was making her slightly uncomfortable and awkward. She turned around and looked on his side of the closet, pulling out her favorite lavender Prada button down she had gotten for him as a gift two years ago when they moved in together. Darien had unpacked _everything_ to surprise Serena and in return, she had bought him the most fabulous shirt ever made. Darien looked better than Cary Grant when wearing it.

While he got dressed, she averted her eyes and started to remove her foot brace. The sound of Velcro made him turn around, "What are you doing?"

"I'm not about to go out with this thing on; it's a liability," she whined.

"A liability?"

"I've already been photographed today with this stupid contraption on my leg. I don't want it to hinder my perfect outfit for tonight," she smiled, as she stood up carefully, trying to adjust her weight to her other foot. "I love my shoes."

The two of them finished getting dressed and he helped her down the stairs where Abby was already cleaning up after Cali and the dog. Serena smiled at the young receptionist and walked up to the little girl, giving her a hug goodbye.

"I want all of your homework done and on the counter by the time I get back, alright?" Darien instructed. "And don't stay up too late. Bed by nine."

"You should take a bath tonight," Serena said as she combed through Cali's thick black hair.

"I don't wanna take a bath," she pouted.

"Well it's either a bath tonight or a shower early in the morning," she stated. "Choose your poison."

"Fine … bath."

"Atta girl. Be good for Abby," she smiled, kissing her forehead.

She and Darien waved goodbye to the child, the puppy, and the babysitter. They both climbed into the dinged up SUV and drove into the city where Serena's friends were all waiting for them in a VIP room. The couple paused for a few minutes on the red carpet in order for their picture to be taken together and for Serena to answer a few random questions from reporters. After walking through the throng of flashing lights, she and Darien entered the restaurant, Classic. They walked into the very back where the special rooms hidden from normal patrons were. There, the couple discovered Rei sitting beside Jadeite looking head over heels. There was something about this man that changed Rei. She was a whole different person … yet she was still herself. It was weird to say. She didn't have her wall up anymore.

Darien pulled out Serena's chair as Jadeite asked, "So how's that foot Serena?"

"It's okay," she smiled. "Thanks for asking."

He leaned over and looked under the table before inquiring, "Where's your brace?"

"How does he know about that?" Darien asked as he sat down. "You just got it today…"

"I saw her earlier," Jadeite answered as he sipped his drink.

"He's a doctor," Serena answered awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

"A doctor? You went and saw another doctor?" he said. He wasn't hiding the pain and question in his voice. "I'm right down the street. Why would you go to another doctor?"

"Can we _not_ bring this up at dinner?" she whispered through gritted teeth.

A waiter came around and Serena immediately ordered a double cranberry vodka on the rocks. As if the air couldn't get any more tense, Rei announced that the other girls would be late. Excellent. How they ended up here, she really didn't know.

"So I assume you practice in the city," Darien said as he sipped his scotch.

"Yeah, I do," Jadeite nodded.

"What hospital?"

"New York Downtown Hospital."

"I used to work there."

"I know … I'm your replacement," Jadeite nodded as the salads were dished out to them.

The word "replacement" made Darien nearly spit up his drink. Serena knew it was hitting him harder than he would admit. He had worked so hard at that hospital; it was his whole life. So to hear that he had been so easily replaced both there and in Serena's medical life … it was a bit difficult to swallow. But how can you blame her for going to a new doctor? The man had been so m.i.a. lately that she had been contemplating replacing him in her _relationship_ world on top of the professional world. Serena's eyes dropped down to her hand which was now ring-less. She was going down the path that everyone hated and most of the tabloid world had predicted; the path to a break-up … possibly. Maybe. She didn't know. Confusion was killing her insides and sitting next to Darien made it worse.

After what felt like ages, they were ready to order dinner. During that time, two things happened; Mina and Ami showed up – dateless – and Darien got a phone call from a patient who was in labor. Serena excused herself and limped out to the back entrance with him where the paparazzi wouldn't try to snag a photo of her vulnerability. She was upset that he had to leave so suddenly during their dinner. She partially blamed it on the tension that was sitting between them and partially on the perfectly timed anonymous pregnant woman.

"Sorry I have to go," he said, tilting her chin up for what she thought was a quick kiss. Instead he asked her, "Why did you have to go to _him_? Of _all_ people?"

"Why are you berating me with this right now? You have a woman in labor waiting for you," she protested.

"Why wouldn't you see _me_?" he exclaimed.

"Because we had a fight! We were still angry this morning and _clearly_ we're still angry today!" she snapped. "How did you not _notice_ that I had the foot brace in the first place? I walked into your office this afternoon like an old woman!"

"What? You want me to notice every little detail?" he fought back.

"Jesus _fucking_ Christ! I just want you to _notice_! Why am I doing _all_ the work here?" she shouted. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down a little bit, "Look … we are not in an okay place right now. I … I don't know what we can do…"

"Couples counseling?"

"Oh god no. I'd rather break it off…"

"Wow. You're so confident in our relationship," he said sarcastically.

"I _love_ you, but … I can't keep forcing this to work," Serena mumbled.

Darien shifted his weight to his other foot, "You know what? I gotta go. We'll discuss this when you get home … or when I get home. Whichever comes first."

She watched him walk away to their secretly parked car. She turned around carefully walked back inside to the table where her friends were anticipating her arrival. During the allotted time, Lita had showed up during and brought a friend along with her. Her name was Seiya and she was the head chef at a competing restaurant across the city called Rebelle – which was a mix of the word rebel and belle. It was a place where class dishes met her rebellious streak that had been the bane of many culinary schools. She was a tall, slightly masculine woman with a charming smile a concerned look etched over her face as she watched Serena sit down in a dejected manner.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I just need another drink," she answered as she downed what was left in her glass.

"I ordered for you," she smiled.

"You ordered _for_ me? Who are you?" she laughed.

"I'm Seiya. Pleasure to meet you," she beamed, holding her hand out.

Serena shook it across the table and then looked at the rest of her friends, "So what did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Lita shrugged. Her eyes drifted over to the lovey-dovey couple Rei and Jadeite. "Hey you two! Come back down to earth!"

Rei pulled back away from the golden haired god and sighed, "Sorry ladies. I'm … er … not feeling very well. I should go home. I have a splitting headache."

They all whined and watched as their friend was dragged out of restaurant and into the gauntlet of paparazzi. If she really did have a headache, then the doctor could cure it, they were sure.

"Wow … not even a second drink and she's already showing him off to the photographers," Mina mused as she arched her neck to get a better look at them.

"She's uncannily smitten," Ami scoffed as their food was brought to them.

Serena furrowed her brow at what Seiya had ordered for her; fettuccini with wild mushrooms, basil, grilled chicken and white wine sauce. She hadn't been in the mood for pasta, but the moment she took a bite, she was overwhelmed by the flavors. Her eyes lit up and Seiya immediately tossed her a cocky grin.

"I knew you'd like it," she smiled.

"And we've only just met," she replied slyly.

"Have you read any of the new scripts?" Mina interjected, trying to get Serena's attention.

She shook her head as she swallowed her food, "Yes. But none of them are what I want."

"What _do_ you want?" Ami asked exasperatedly.

That's when Serena actually stopped what she was doing and thought for a moment. What _did_ she want? She wanted her relationship back to the way it was. She wanted to get some recognition for all of the work she had put into her relationship, her life, _everything_. Was that too much to ask for? She was taken out of her dizzying thought process by Seiya snapping her fingers in her face.

The short-haired beauty leaned back with a smirk covering lips, "That question threw her off into a whole other world."

"Sorry. Just … you know … stupid bullshit," she wafted.

The women all turned on their concerned expressions which she tried to ignore by downing another drink. By the end of the night, Serena had become so drunk that no one wanted to deal with her or her ranting. She was constantly rambling about Darien and how he didn't do anything for her. After a while, none of them could understand what she was crying about. It was embarrassing. Luckily they were in a private room so no one had to see her, but that didn't mean people couldn't _hear_ her.

"He doesn't care about me anymore!" she wailed. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Okay honey. It's time to get you home," Mina said as she tried to quiet her friend down. She looked around at the rest of them and asked, "Who's going to do the honors?"

"I can take her back to my place," Seiya offered. "It's right up the street. Then I can take her home in the morning."

"Please, _please_ do," Lita begged as she cupped her head in her hands.

"I should be allowed to express my feelings!" Serena shouted at her. Then she started to break down sobbing, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Litaaaa ….!"

"Come on gimpy," Seiya sighed as she wrapped Serena's arm around her shoulders and helped her out the back door.

The two stumbled along the dark streets of New York until they made it to a brownstone a couple blocks away. Seiya had to literally carry Serena up her stoop in order to get her inside; her foot was still bruised after all. They made it into the apartment, both of them nearly falling face first onto the hard wood floor. Serena flopped down onto the couch while her newly found friend dug around her purse to find her cell phone. She thumbed through the contacts list to find Darien's phone number.

"Where the hell are you?" he exclaimed immediately.

"Um, this is Serena's _friend_ actually," she replied bashfully.

"Oh. Wow. I-I'm sorry."

"Yeah. She's drunk. Very drunk and I—"

"No I'm not!" she exclaimed suddenly, lifting her head out of the couch cushions. "Is that Darien? Give me the phone!"

Seiya hesitantly handed the phone to her and watched as the flighty blonde tried to rip her lover a new one.

"You sir do not deserve me! What is wrong with you?"

"_Excuse me_?"

"You heard me! You're an asshole!"

"And you're drunk."

"No. This is not about being drunk. This is about you being scared. You are scared of getting really close to someone who isn't your blood relative!" Serena growled.

"Are we really going to hash this out _now_? I just want you home, Serena," he sighed. "I've been up all night wondering where the hell you are."

"What about labor?"

"What?"

"Labor … that woman who was in labor?"

"She had a false alarm. The doula is with her now and her contractions should be closer in time by tomorrow – wait. Why am I telling you this? That woman has nothing to do with this situation," he groaned.

"You're right! But you know what woman does?"

"No."

"Heather!" she shouted as she started to pace around the apartment like a mad woman with her head cut off.

"Heather? What about her?"

"You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

"That's quite an accusatory tone you got there, missy."

"Don't missy me!" she snapped. "What if I just pull a Heather on you?"

"Pull a Heather? What does that even mean?" he replied. "You're not making any sense Serena. Hand the phone back to that friend of yours."

"That's just it! What if I go lesbian like her? Seiya would satisfy me, wouldn't you?" she said half to Darien and half to Seiya.

"I um …" she was dumbfounded by the proposal partly because she hadn't expected it and also because she kind of wanted it. She had been infatuated with Serena all night. Even under this surprising drunken stupor, the woman exuded a type of captivating energy. She was the flame and Seiya was that pesky black moth with grey flecks on the wings.

"I want someone who will _be_ there for me! Seiya has been there for me!"

"For one night Serena! I've been there for over _two years_!"

"No you haven't! And until you can understand that, then I don't think we should be living together!" she yelled.

There was a long pause and then Darien said softly, "Are you serious? Is this the alcohol talking or are you really wanting this?"

The truth was, the alcohol was the lubricant for these words to come out. Now that she said them, she could feel the hangover slap her across the face unexpectedly.

"I … I _am_ serious," she said defiantly as she sat up straight and pushed her long blonde hair behind her ear. "You've been so on and off. You've been so confused … you know we can't keep going on like this."

"Jesus," he whispered.

"Look … I'm gonna go to bed. You … I … we'll talk in the morning," she stammered.

Before she could hear any agreement or protest from him, she hung up the phone. Her eyes jumped over to Seiya who was prepared with a pillow, a blanket thrown over her shoulder, and glass of water. Serena took the offer and decided to try to sleep on the couch. It didn't help at all. She just stared at the ceiling above her, wondering if she made the right decision.

**Next up: Serena and Darien confront one another! Please review! Let me know what you think!**


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